DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Election/Restrictions
Applicant’s election without traverse of Group I in the reply filed on 05/18/2026 is acknowledged. Claims 15-20 are withdrawn from further consideration pursuant to 37 CFR 1.142(b) as being drawn to a nonelected Group II, there being no allowable generic or linking claim. Election was made without traverse in the reply filed on 05/18/2026.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-6 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Singleton et al. (US 2002/0007552 A1) in view of Busacca et al. (US 2022/0352554 A1).
Regarding claim 1, Singleton discloses a system for encapsulating electrodes for a battery, the system comprising:
lower path rollers operable to guide a first web of separator material along a lower web path (Figure 1; separator webs are provided along a path and rollers are used to move the separator webs through the system; [0012, 0051-0060]);
a conveyor frame supporting one or more of the lower path rollers (Figure 1; abstract; [0016, 0042-0047] conveyor 42);
one or more conveyor drives supported on the conveyor frame (Figure 1; abstract; [0016, 0042-0047] multiple conveyors);
a continuous track driven by the one or more conveyor drives and positioned beneath the lower web path (Figure 1),
a heat press positioned above the continuous track and including one or more heated surface configured to heat and press a second web of separator material against the first web to encapsulate at least a portion of the electrode material within the first web and the second web (Figure 1; [0046] heated press and can be used throughout the apparatus).
Singleton is silent with respect to the continuous track comprising a plurality of pallets having one or more conveyor magnets embedded therein operable to secure electrode material against portions of the first web on the lower web path.
Busacca discloses an apparatus and method for production of electrodes and is analogous with the instant invention as being within the same field of endeavor of battery cells. Busacca discloses wherein the apparatus contains a jig or alignment device that can be a magnet to maintain proper registration and orientation of the pine player via a conveyor mechanism ([0210]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious in view of a skilled artisan to add into the apparatus of Singleton a magnetic alignment device that is part of the conveyor system in order to secure and align the electrode material used in the apparatus of Singleton as taught by Busacca. The resulting modification would render obvious the structure in which the continuous track comprises pallets having one or more conveyor magnets to secure the electrode material onto the lower web path.
Regarding claim 2, modified Singleton discloses all the claim limitations of claim 1. Singleton further discloses upper path rollers operable to guide the second web along an upper web path that is at a distance above the lower web path to define an electrode material handling space (Figure 1; multiple rollers and path are defined that deal with the cathode, anode and separator materials).
Regarding claim 3, modified Singleton discloses all the claim limitations of claim 2. Singleton is silent with respect to phase adjuster rollers supported on the conveyor frame and operable to guide the second web onto the electrode material positioned on the first web on the continuous track.
Busacca discloses an apparatus and method for production of electrodes and is analogous with the instant invention as being within the same field of endeavor of battery cells. Busacca discloses wherein the apparatus contains position sensors that measures the phase and adjusts to correct the phases as needed ([0146], [0179-0185]).
Therefore, it would have been obvious in view of a skilled artisan to incorporate the position sensors and apparatus that can measure and adjust the phases of the electrode material position on the first web of the continuous track to prevent manufacturing issues due to being out of phase as taught by Busacca.
Regarding claim 4, modified Singleton discloses all the claim limitations of claim 3. Singleton further teaches one or more scrap rollers positioned on a side of the heat press where the first web and the second web exit the heat press, the one or more scrap rollers being operable to engage portion of the first web and the second web and guide the portion of the first web and the second web off the continuous track (Figure 1; [0059] place mechanism transfer cells and cuts the cells off of the previous track).
Regarding claim 5, modified Singleton discloses all the claim limitations of claim 3. Singleton further teaches a tab window a tab window forming press positioned upstream of the upper path rollers and operable to receive the first web and the second web and including a cutting tool operable to cut one or more window in the first web and the second web with the first web and the second web stacked together in the cutting tool (Figure 1; laser photo optical device 79 registers the web into the cutting station to cut the web; [0060] a web enters a die punch that can cut to form electrodes include the tabs; [0046] cutting can form two metal tabs of the electrodes); and
an image-capturing device and configured to capture image data of the first web and the second web to determine that the windows of the first web and the second web are registered with the tabs of the electrode material ([0067] camera 178 within the vision system). Singleton is explicitly silent with respect to the location of the camera being positioned onto the heat press, however, it would have been obvious in view of a skilled artisan to rearrange the camera to be position onto the heat press to visually capture and monitor the material throughout normal operation. The mere rearrangement of parts, without any new or unexpected results, is within the ambit of one of ordinary skill in the art. See In re Japikse, 86 USPQ 70 (CCPA 1950) (see MPEP § 2144.04).
Regarding claim 6, modified Singleton discloses all the claim limitations of claim 1. Singleton further discloses an electrode material pick head configured to temporarily engage electrode material ([0052] Figure 1, vacuum chuck pick and place mechanism to contact the separator/electrode stack); and
An electrode actuator configured to shift the electrode material pick head towards the first web ([0060] roller 118 and adjustable flat guide; Figures 1-7 the spindle is actuated as material is drawn through the apparatus with the high/low optical sensor into the loop and thus reads as the electrode material is shifted throughout the process).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-14 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter:
Claim 7 contains the structure of the electrode material pick comprising a body cylinder operatively associated with the electrode actuator, an outer piston, an inner piston and a pick head magnet attached to the inner piston. The prior art fails to reach nor render obvious the structure of the electrode material pick head and thus is deemed to be allowable. The closest prior art is considered to be Singleton and Busacca. Singleton and Busacca disclose similar apparatus’s, both fail to teach nor render obvious the structure of the electrode material pick head and a skilled artisan would have no teaching, motivation nor suggestion to change or alter the structure of the prior art to include the structure as claimed.
Claim 8 contains the structure of a match metal tool operable to receive a sheet of electrode material and form perforations in the sheet of electrode material that define lateral sides of the electrode material; two or more metal cutting surfaces for receiving the perforated sheet of electrode material, the two or more metal surfaces spaced apart from one another to define a channel therebetween; a cutting tool positioned above the two or more metal cutting surfaces and operable to be actuated to cut the perforated sheet of electrode material against the two or more metal cutting surfaces to form the electrode material; a magnetic clamp assembly shiftable within the channel comprising one or more clamp magnets for engaging the electrode material; and an actuator configured to shift the magnetic clamp assembly within the channel. The prior art fails to teach nor render obvious the whole structure of claim 8. The closest prior art is considered to be Singleton and Busacca. Singleton and Busacca disclose similar apparatus’s, both fail to teach nor render obvious the structure of claim 8 and a skilled artisan would have no teaching, motivation nor suggestion to change or alter the structure of the prior art to include the structure as claimed. Claims 9-14 are objected for depending upon claim 8.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure.
Hanson et al. (US 6,547,229 B1)- discloses a stacking apparatus and method for laminated products having a plurality of rollers that can be adjusted to accomplish pressure sensing and pressure control for the system.
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to Adam J Francis whose telephone number is (571)272-1021. The examiner can normally be reached M-Th: 7 am-4 pm EST.
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/ADAM J FRANCIS/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1728
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